How Long Does Lorazepam Stay in Your System?

Lorazepam, commonly known as Ativan, is a drug used for anxiety and is only available by prescription.

If you’ve taken some of this drug, then you may be wondering how long it shows up in your system. The answer depends on how the testing is done. In this article, we’ll talk about the drug and how long it remains in your body. We’ll also cover the length of detection based on the kind of screening used.

How Long Does Lorazepam Stay in the Body?

Lorazepam has a half-life of 12 to 18 hours in the body. A “half-life” is a way to measure the effects of drugs on the body.

This does not mean that Lorazepam is out of your body after 18 hours. Drugs usually take 5.5 half-life timeframes to leave the body. Therefore, Lorazepam can stay in the body for up to 99 hours, or 4 days.

When we say “stays in the body” we are not referring to testing. We are talking about the total time frame where you can potentially feel the effect of the drug.

How Long Does Lorazepam Stay in Your Urine?

Urine lab tests are often the most common drug tests. They are inexpensive and can catch the presence of drugs within relatively recent times. They also don’t require much from the tester other than a cup of urine.

Lorazepam can show up in urine for up to 6 days. Metabolites for Lorazepam can show up for up to 9 days.

How Long Does Lorazepam Stay in Your Saliva?

A saliva lab test is often used to detect recent drug use. However, saliva tests are unreliable in some cases due to the ease with which people can fake the test.

Lorazepam can be found in the saliva up to 8 hours after use.

How Long Does Lorazepam Stay in Your Hair?

Hair tests are used for jobs that require additional assurance that the employee isn’t on drugs. These tests can detect certain drugs further out than urine or saliva tests.

Lorazepam can show up in a hair sample up to 30 days (or longer) after use. However, it takes a few days for the drug to show up in hair follicles.

Factors That Affect How Long Lorazepam will Stay in Your System

Not all drug users are created equal. Because of this, different bodily factors can change how long the drug stays in your system:

  • Metabolism and kidney functions affect how long Lorazepam stays in the body. Your body has to process the chemicals to remove them, so different issues can change that time frame. Kidney disease or body weight are two sample factors.
  • Genetics related to chemical processing can affect how quickly your body can remove Lorazepam.
  • How much you took can change how long it remains in your system. Chronic Lorazepam users will have to wait longer to remove the drug from their bodies.
  • Combining Lorazepam with other drugs can affect how long it stays in the body. Alcohol or other drugs that work through the liver can slow Lorazepam breakdown.
  • Food and water also have an impact. Fatty foods can slow the process, while staying hydrated may speed it up.

With these factors in mind, you can get an idea of who may process the drug faster than others. People with lots of fat, poor diets, poor organ health, or chronic drug use will have a harder time processing Lorazepam out of the body.

What is Lorazepam and How Does it Affect You

Lorazepam is a drug in a class of medicines called “benzodiazepines”. They are used to induce relaxation and include drugs like Xanax and Klonopin. “Lorazepam” is the generic name for Ativan.

Lorazepam is prescribed in liquid or tablet form. Doctors often prescribe it to treat anxiety, and will often use it in hospitals to relax patients. It’s also prescribed for insomnia, irritable bowel syndrome, and withdrawal symptoms from other drugs.

Along with the relaxation, Lorazepam can cause several side-effects, including:

  • Drowsiness
  • Constipation
  • Blurred Vision
  • Dizziness
  • Changes in Sex Drive
  • Skin Rashes
  • Fever

Since some symptoms are severe, you should never take Lorazepam without a doctor’s guidance.

Lorazepam is also habit-forming. Doctors recommend to never take Lorazepam in a larger dosage than prescribed, or for longer than prescribed. They also recommend not taking the drug for longer than 4 months.

Treatment for Lorazepam Addiction

Since Lorazepam is habit-forming, always follow your prescription to the letter. A dependence can begin in as little as two weeks of use. Even if you do so, doctors will often wean you from the drug to avoid health problems.

Don’t quit cold turkey. If you have abused Lorazepam, work with a doctor or treatment specialist to get off the drug. Lorazepam can cause severe withdrawal symptoms that include brain effects like panic attacks, seizures, and hallucinations.

If you believe that you or someone close to you is suffering from Lorazepam addiction, consider inpatient treatment. Don’t wait until the bottom falls out. The earlier you start recovery, the easier it will be to detox and get healthy.

Written by
Northeast Addition Editorial Team

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This page does not provide medical advice.

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